Yahoo News Donald Trump's inauguration: Which tech leaders will be attending and who will skip it?
Tech titans, including the world’s three richest people, will be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday as the 47th US president is given the keys to tech funding and regulation.
Here is a list of the tech leaders who will and won’t be attending the event.
Attending
Elon Musk
It comes as no surprise that the Tesla, SpaceX, and X boss will be attending the inauguration following his vocal support for Trump during the campaign and his donation of more than $250 billion (€242 billion).
Musk will also co-lead a new government council called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The world’s richest person is expected to have a prominent spot at the ceremony alongside Trump’s family and former presidents.
Musk is expected to be seated next to Meta's CEO and Amazon’s founder.
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Mark Zuckerberg
The Meta CEO and incoming US president have had a torrid past, with threats by Trump to imprison Zuckerberg "for life" if he interfered in the 2024 election.
But they appear to be turning a new page. Zuckerberg has changed the content moderation policies on his platforms by replacing third-party fact-checking with user-written “community notes” in the US.
Meta also donated $1 million (€970,000) to Trump’s inauguration fund and has reshuffled its lobbying staff.
Zuckerberg is also said to be co-hosting a reception on Monday to celebrate the inauguration.
Jeff Bezos
The Amazon founder has confirmed his attendance at Monday’s inauguration.
Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, decided to withhold the newspaper’s endorsement in the presidential race, sparking an exodus of journalists.
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Shou Zi Chew
TikTok’s CEO will be keen to get on Trump’s good side as a US ban on the platform is scheduled to take effect a day before Trump is sworn in.
According to The New York Times, he is expected to sit in a position of honour alongside former presidents and family members.
The Biden administration law, passed in April, required ByteDance to divest its US assets or face a ban due to security concerns.
Attorneys representing TikTok and its creators argue that the law violates the free-speech protections of millions of its US users.
The US Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on January 19 on whether it will uphold the law.
Reportedly attending
Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is reportedly attending the inauguration, according to Bloomberg, which cited a source.
In the past, Apple has faced criticism from Trump who has called on the company to do more to assist law enforcement in accessing encrypted devices.
However, Apple has said that creating a back door access to its operating system could cause safety concerns and provide easier access for hackers.
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Sam Altman
According to media reports, Sam Altman donated $1 million (around €969,500) to the inauguration fund, but this was from his own money and not from his company OpenAI.
He told Fox News in December he believed Trump would be "very good" at pushing for the US’s AI infrastructure.
He is another tech titan who is reported to be attending Monday’s event.
Sundar Pichai
The Alphabet CEO is also planning to attend the inauguration, according to Reuters, which cited a person familiar with the matter.
Google’s parent company previously donated $1 million (€969,500) to Trump’s inauguration fund.
Google has come under fire from some Republicans over its content moderation policies. Alphabet is also undergoing two antitrust lawsuits in the US.
In 2020, the Indian-born CEO said he was "disappointed" at Trump’s order to restrict immigration visas.
"Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech, and also Google the company it is today. Disappointed by today’s proclamation - we’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all," Pichai said on Twitter during Trump’s first term.
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Dara Khosrowshahi
The Uber CEO and his company have each donated $1 million (€969,500) to the inaugural fund.
He will also reportedly be attending the ceremony.
Satya Nadella
It is unclear if Microsoft’s CEO will be attending the swearing-in but the company has donated $1 million (€969,500) to the inaugural fund.
On Wednesday, CEO Satya Nadella and Microsoft’s president Brad Smith met with Trump to discuss tech policy and the company’s pledge to invest $80 billion (€77 billion) into global AI infrastructure.
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Not attending
The CEO of the world’s biggest chip maker Nvidia is expected to miss the inauguration, according to reports.
Jensen Huang will be visiting East Asia for the Lunar New Year as he usually does, according to Bloomberg, which cited a person familiar with the matter.
Nvidia told Euronews Next it would not comment on the report.
The inauguration comes as the outgoing Biden administration restricted US chip exports to many countries.
Nvidia said in a blog post that the rule "threatens to derail innovation and economic growth worldwide".
